“A nation that does not honour its heroes will not long endure,” Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States had said. Lincoln led the United States through one of its most troubled times, the US Civil War of 1861 to 1865. Let us hope those words will resonate with leaders across the world, and especially with the inexperienced leadership of our island nation.
Today, Sri Lanka honours its fallen and wounded heroes, members of our armed forces, law enforcement and auxiliary formations which stood against multiple waves of insurgencies – terrorists who were hell-bent on destroying our nation, and carving out a mono-ethnic State of their own, which would have endangered regional security and stability. Like many countries which had an internal conflict, the public sentiments about how such conflicts come to a conclusion, at least in the ending of armed conflict, is diverse and remains polarising. Sri Lanka is no exception. The reality in war is that there are winners, and there are losers. The lessons learnt from the end of all armed conflicts is that the armed conflict is too costly to wage, and problem-solving needs to be done in a better manner. Like with all conflicts, there are many allegations, some for which there is tangible proof, but for the rest of it, there hasn’t been a compelling case made, both domestically and internationally.
This is not to say that long-standing issues about unequal treatment, systemic racism and abuse, have now been fixed. Far from it, the journey towards national unity and an acceptable national identity, which all who reside in Sri Lanka are happy to be part of, is still a long way off. Reconciliation is also a two-way street, and cannot be rushed.
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) itself, a product of two failed bloody insurgencies, which was put down brutally – the second time due to a change in strategies and tactics – today stands as the core element of the newly-elected National People’s Power (NPP) movement. A movement, which gathered steam and popularity over the last five years, with the help from many veterans of Sri Lanka’s internal conflict which ended in 2009. However, the NPP’s approach to playing politics with ‘Reconciliation’ and ‘Remembrance’ will cost them dearly at some stage. The NPP can no longer behave like they are in Opposition, the NPP – JVP warts and all – are now the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, and is no longer merely a leftist/anti-establishment movement.
The NPP is yet to explain why their movement’s emissaries in the North and East, played the tune of Tamil Separatist Nationalism in the lead up to the recently concluded Local Government Elections? Did the politicisation of issues which should not have been, bring them any gains in the polls? No, it did not, they were largely rejected, and the legacy political parties which use Tamil nationalism returned to the fore. The NPP is experimenting with a dangerous game, with serious national consequences, to gain control of more political power. This shows lack of maturity when it comes to governance. The NPP has a unique opportunity to work towards healing tears in the national fabric, they should not behave in a manner that creates widening of the tears.
It is indeed a shame the Government decided that the 16th National War Heroes Commemoration Ceremony would be held without the attendance of the President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. It is an insult and betrayal of all those who (irrespective of political views on the outcomes) fought to keep Sri Lanka in one piece and stood their ground against terrorism, and foreign influence operations to destabilise the nation. The President, following much criticism has realised the responsibilities which come with his seat of office. He should have known when he ran for office, what it entailed. He needs to rise to the occasion, he is the President of all Sri Lankans, not just those who voted for the NPP or the JVP. The armed forces and law enforcement agencies (warts and all) of a nation, are the cornerstones of the State. It is best that the Government does not forget this fundamental fact.